May 25, 2007

My New Toy

I bought a new toy today ... the Nikon D40. I had my eye on this baby for awhile, but held out. I gave in when in the middle of a product shoot my Sony Cybershot died on me. I was so tired of the images coming out dark and blurry ... and forget the batteries (not to mention looking unprofessional... uugghh!). Either it was eating them up an hour at a time or the rechargeable ones did not stay charged for long. So, with "Niko" in my hands, I decided to do a couple of test shots

Sheba was about as thrilled as I was. She is such a ham!

Some crochet thread ...

and, some Lornas Laces Shepherd Sport in Bittersweet.

I am loving the ease of use and the way it captures the true to life colors. I'll let you know more once I get more familiar with. I have to before I go here in about two weeks. Woo Hoo! Oh, and if you want a good reference on cameras, DSLR's or Point and Shoot, check this site out.

Have a good weekend !

May 19, 2007

The Crochet Hats of Dorze


I have a confession to make ... I am a magazine junkie. The third week of the month you can find me chasing down the mailman for my precious periodicals. One such gem is Selvedge magazine from the UK.
I tore off the postal plastic like a five year old on Christmas morning and took a deep breath...making sure I could capture the remnants or ink and fresh paper in my lungs. I settled into the corner of my couch and began my journey. What I read blew me away.

In southern Ethiopia, there is a region called Dorze. Here, the women spin and the men weave and in the missionary schools, boys as young as thirteen make colorful hats for sale using a crochet hook or a modified safety pin. The yarns used are cotton, wool or acrylic, often mixed together in dazzling stripes, chevrons and checks. Some of the most unique styles have a "stalk" on top...much like the decorations on top of their homes, which this region is known for. The hats are an outward symbol of the Dorze culture, identifying the wearer as being from the particular region. At the same time each hat is the individual expression of its maker and owner.

May 08, 2007

Crochet Flower

Mrs.Purls asked me about the crochet flowers I used to embellish the blanket. I found the pattern in Crochet for Dummies (seriously). Here's the pattern:

One Color Flower

Center Ring: Leaving a 6in. length, ch 6 and join intoa ring with 1 sl st in first ch.

Rnd 1: Ch 1, work 15 sc in ring, sl st in first sc to join.

Rnd 2: Ch 1, *sc in each sc, ch 3, skip next 2 sc*, rep from * to* around, sl st in first sc to join (5 ch-3 loops made)

Rnd 3: Sl st in first ch-3 loop, ch 1, (sc hdc, 3dc, hdc, sc) in each ch-3 loop around (5 petals made), sl st in first sc to join

Rnd 4: * Ch 4, skip next 6 stst, sl st in next sc *, rep from * to * around (5 ch-4 loops made).

Rnd 5: Sl st in first ch-4 loop, ch 1, (sc, hdc, 2dc, tr, 2dc, hdc, sc) in each ch-4 loop around (5 petals made), sl st in first sc to join.

Rnd 6: * Ch 5, skip next 8 st, sl st in next sc *, rep from * to * around (5 ch-5 loops made).

Rnd7: Sl st in first ch-5 loop, ch 1, (sc, hdc, 2 dc, 3 tr, 2 dc, hdc, sc) in each ch-5 loop around (5 petals made), sl st in
first sc to join. Fasten off.

To make a two toned flower, work the stitches the same as the one color flower. Work the center ring and round 1 in the first color. Fasten off the first color and joing the second color. WOrk rounds 2-5 in the second color. Fasten off and join the first color ( or another color) to work rounds 6-7.

Enjoy!

May 01, 2007

Bad Blogger / Good Gifter

I know ... I have been a bad blogger. It's been ages since my last post and so much has happened since then. Where shall I begin. Well, I have been tackling the concrete jungle for the past couple of months toying with corporate America but not getting totally sucked in. It feels good to just go in, do my work and leave all the corporate "BS" and politics behind...and truth be told, I love it that way. I have a friend who has made a career by temping (we met while she was filling in for someone on maternity leave). I used to envy her sense of freedom and abandonment, not being tied to the corporate culture. Freelancing at this major publisher has given me a complete understanding of what she described as her "BS Be Damned" attutude. Now don't get me wrong. I don't want you to think I waltz in there all willy nilly and not care about the integrity of my work. That is a different story. I take pride in my skills and let it speak for itself. You know how some of us were brought up on that "One Better" rule. As a black woman, you always have to be one step ahead ( I can still hear my mother telling me that as she looked over my grades). That notion is so ingrained in me, I don't know how to be anything but the consumate professional when it comes to my work. Which brings me to this ... they offered me a staff position. What do I do now?!

On the creative tip, I have been crocheting to my hearts content. I finally finished my friends baby blanket. She had a little girl on Good Friday and I finished just in time. I was about to be through with her though. see, when she found out she was pregnant, she told me she wanted the nursery to be lilac and pink. Cool, I thought. Finally I can get away from the pinks and use purples and lilacs. A couple of months later, a week before her shower and AFTER I was half way finished, she told me she switched the nursery to a Strawberry Shortcake theme and wanted everything red and pink. I about died. You know how it is after you have made a commitment to make something for someone. You want it to be perfect. So, I did a little research, found out that Strawberry Shortcake had some pinks and purples in her color scheme and put my mind at ease w/o trying to crochet another blanket in less than a week. I love the way the blanket came out. It is basically 4 rows of double crochet alternating pink and purple and 2 rows of double crochet in white. A simple stripe pattern with a dramatic affect. To embellish it, I made three crochet flowers and made a "ribbon" of chain stitch to wrap around the blanket and thread the flowers through. I topped it off with a homemade card. I was nervous ... I am always nervous when making gifts for people. The best thing was she called me about a half hour later after receiving the gift and told me it was the best gift she received for her little one. THAT, really made my day.